First Cup: Tuesday

• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "The main question was simple, an oft-repeated theme -- Is Kobe Bryant shooting too much? -- as that and other related questions flew in abundance after the Lakers practiced Monday, a day after another embarrassing loss. Bryant acknowledged taking control of the Lakers' offense in their 104-85 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, agreeing with Coach Phil Jackson's charge the previous night that his one-on-one mind-set took 'the rest of the guys out' of the flow of the game. Some of Bryant's teammates went further Monday, specifically Pau Gasol, yearning for more balance in an offense that had steadily worsened since the Lakers' 8-0 start. 'We all are familiar with [Bryant's] game and his ability to score and his ability to take over games. It's sometimes a double-edged sword because it can keep you in the games and even sometimes win you games, but it can also lose you games,' Gasol said. 'I think we're more effective and we're more successful when our offense is balanced and everybody's contributing. We all know that. We're in good shape when everybody's 10-plus points and just getting good looks because the offense will do that for you.' ... Not everybody pointed toward Bryant. In fact, Bynum blamed "Kobe-dar," his radar-derived term for when the Lakers focus too much on feeding Bryant the ball and then stand around and watch him. Bryant, for his part, said he had no problem with Jackson's postgame comments imploring the need for more team basketball. 'He was right,' Bryant said."
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "At halftime last night, the Celtics trailed the Timberwolves by four points. Paul Pierce had taken six shots and Glen Davis had taken 11, which, no matter how you do the 4-6-11 math, adds up to unacceptable. And we mean no disrespect to Davis. You can call DSS on Doc Rivers for Big Baby abuse, but not us. Anyone who thinks the Celts would be near 29-7 now without his contributions is crazier than Baby himself. While Doc gets on Davis for allegedly forgetting his role, it was Pierce who was guilty of said charge in the first 24 minutes. ... Pierce actually had two assists in the second half after recording just one in the first. He also had 18 of his 23 points, including 11 straight for the Celtics in the third. By letting his air into the offense, the Celts scored 53 in the second half after their modest first. ... It’s not like he turned into Kobe or anything. He didn’t drive into three Timberwolves and force up shots. Phil Jackson didn’t stand in the hallway and say bad things about him after the game. Pierce just did what a scorer is supposed to do -- seek his openings, take his shots and let his abilities open the floor for others."
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: "In this nerdy, fancy-stats era of sports, basketball doesn't have a statistic for points scored plus points prevented. But if they ever created the ol' PSPPP, the Nuggets' Arron Afflalo surely would among the league leaders. The best player on the Pepsi Center court Monday night was Carmelo Anthony. But Afflalo was arguably the Nuggets' most important player in their 113-106 victory over the Houston Rockets. 'Defensively, he doesn't get enough recognition,' said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team is 20-13 and a winner of four straight. 'And Arron was pivotal in the second half, getting us in an offensive rhythm.' Afflalo tallied 15 points (on efficient 5-of-7 shooting), but consider his defense against Houston guard Kevin Martin. It was soul-crushing. Martin, who is averaging 23 points, missed 10 consecutive shots, got slapped with a technical foul and was benched for a lot of the third and fourth quarters. Martin finished with only eight points and hit just 3-of-15 shots."
• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: "The Heat is referring to itself as the 'Heatles' -- as in the Beatles -- these days because of the large crowds it receives on the road, said LeBron James. 'I see we sell out 99.1 percent on the road, so we call ourselves the Heatles off the Beatles, so every time we take our show on the road we bring a great crowd,' James said. The obvious question: So who's Paul McCartney and who's John Lennon? 'I knew that was going to be a question,' James said. 'We're just the Heatles, man.' "
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "Money can't buy happiness, even NBA money. Turk (Hedo Turkoglu) tried hard to make that deal. It just didn't work. He wasn't good at being a mercenary. An unhappy Turk is an unproductive, unmotivated Turk. Toronto is beautiful, even if it's stuck in Canada, and Phoenix is a desert resort. But Hedo did not like working at either place, and it didn't take those franchises long to realize he wouldn't be employee of the month. The Magic also feared what might happen if they gave him $50 million over five years. They shipped him to Canada with the loot in a sign-and-trade, and Hedo had to like the exchange rate if nothing else. ... The Magic are getting Turk back at the right price and at the right time. His reputation has taken a hit, so there's the redemption storyline. He's hungry in this homecoming, and certainly happy. And a happy Turk can size up the Golden State Warriors, and on an ordinary night in early January, show his worth. He recorded 10 points, 10 assists and 14 rebounds, plus a career highs in steals (5). It's no surprise that his previous two triple-dubs came in a Magic uniform during 2007-08."
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Chuck Hayes is valuable, way more than the numbers could ever suggest. He is important to what the Rockets do, completely at home with the system and his teammates. There is no way he should be irreplaceable. So far, however, he has been. The way things are supposed to go is that a guy like Hayes gets hurt and the young, springy-legged 6-10 lottery pick steps in and takes his career in another direction. It has not happened. It has been just three games. Jordan Hill might just need time, just as he eventually grew into his previous role when he began the season out of the rotation and then made it work with Brad Miller and the second-unit. In the three games without Hayes, however, Hill has averaged just 3.7 rebounds as the Rockets' starting center. He has made just 7 of 18 shots. He was in foul trouble against Denver, but the mix did not seem right, with everything grinding to a stop when Hill posted up, as he looked far more unsure of himself than he did when playing with the second unit. He was far from the only problem. The Rockets continued to get whipped inside, allowing 46 points in the paint in all three games with Hayes out."
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: "If I'm reading the tea leaves right, the Mavericks won't be reaching out and trying to make a fast deal to bring in a high-dollar replacement for Caron Butler, partly because they probably can't right now as they would be dealing from a position of weakness. Every team with an Andre Iguodala or Stephen Jackson or Rip Hamilton available is not only going to take Butler's expiring contract but demand Roddy Beaubois and something else, too, most likely. Dealing at times like these is almost never a wise decision. Let the dust settle. See what happens in the next few weeks. Then re-evaluate. That's just a humble opinion."
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "Some observers have suggested the light is starting to come on for Cavs power forward J.J. Hickson. Byron Scott is credited with reviving the career of Mavericks center Tyson Chandler when they were both in New Orleans. 'He didn't come to us with a whole lot of confidence in himself,' Scott said. 'My first objective was to build that up.' Scott said that's not the problem with Hickson. 'I think he has confidence,' he said. 'I think it's more awareness, knowing exactly where he needs to be on both ends of the floor. I don't think J.J.'s confidence has been shaken. He understands he's still a good basketball player who can get better. That's what we're trying to do, make him better.' After his 21-point effort in Chicago on Saturday, Hickson made just 3 of 10 shots against the Mavs. He ended with seven points and two rebounds."
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: "While returning to the court was a major step in the right direction, Carlos Delfino isn't prepared to say when he'll don a Bucks' uni again. Delfino wore a heart monitor during his workouts Sunday and Monday. He acknowledged that he had experienced headaches in the past when his heartbeat was above 110. Delfino acknowledged his heart raced substantially higher at times when he did anything remotely strenuous since his suffering his concussion. 'It was high; I don't want to tell you how high,' Delfino said. Asked if his heartbeat had gotten over 150, Delfino said yes. Delfino said his heart rate is more stable, even significantly better than it was just a couple of a weeks ago. What's more, the almost-depressed demeanor he had been exhibiting since his concussion has disappeared. During a 15-minute interview Monday, he was much more vocal and upbeat. Delfino, who suffered a concussion Oct. 29 in the Bucks' second regular-season game against Minnesota and then took an inadvertent hit to the head in a game against Indiana Nov. 5, said he intends to be on the Cousins Center floor again Tuesday while his teammates are in Florida preparing to play the Miami Heat that night. Delfino said he plans to keep working out and, barring any setback, will meet with neuropsychologist Michael McCrea in the next two weeks."
• John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times: "There has been a lot of talk and speculation lately about what the Bulls should do, or need to do, to shore up the shooting guard position, and a lot of names have been thrown out as possibilities. But one overlooked solution is someone who’s already a Bull -- Ronnie Brewer. Though Brewer has been playing more minutes at shooting guard than anyone else on the roster, he hasn’t been himself physically -- or the player he has been throughout the first four years of his NBA career -- until recently. After missing the second half of last season with a torn hamstring and sitting out most of the preseason with a strained hamstring in the same leg, Brewer said he finally started to feel 100 percent two or three weeks ago. 'I feel like I’m able to move a lot better and defend the guys I know I’m capable of defending and doing it at a high level,' he said Monday after the Bulls’ practice session at the Berto Center. 'I also can run the floor better and spread the floor when [Derrick] Rose is penetrating. It takes awhile to get your legs back. You might be able to do something at a certain level, but to be fully healthy and 100 percent, it does take awhile.' "
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "I feel for reserve center Gana Diop, who is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered Friday in the Golden State game. Diop is a great guy, and he had his chance to play for Paul Silas, who previously coached him in Cleveland. In a sense, this works to the franchise's favor, since disability insurance should cover much of Diop's $6.48 million salary. However, it's now inconceivable another team would trade for Diop's contract. Remember Larry Brown saying after last season that 'quite frankly, he's untradeable.' "
• Justin Rogers from MLive.com: "Okay, you're going to look at the box score, see Austin Daye's stat line from the Detroit Pistons' 102-97 loss in Utah, and wonder, what's the big deal? That's fair. It's hard to convince anyone to be excited about seven points, four rebounds and four fouls in 17 minutes. But trust me when I say Austin Daye is making significant strides on the basketball court. Daye has been inching his way back into coach John Kuester's rotation. It started last Wednesday, when Daye went on a scoring spree against the Celtics, pouring in 12 points in the second quarter of that game. ... When Charlie Villanueva fouled out with 2:38 remaining in the game, Kuester turned back to Daye. He immediately responded by getting to the free-throw line and knocking down both attempts to tie the game at 93. On the other end of the court, Jazz point guard Deron Williams used a pick-and-roll to find Al Jefferson with a bouce pass along the baseline. Daye came through the lane and used his length to alter Jefferson's shot, forcing him to go under the rim to attempt a reverse layup, which he missed. These things don't stick out on the box score, but it's smart defensive plays, and continued hot shooting (47.8 percent over the last three games), which will make Kuester want to continue to give Daye additional playing time like he did Monday night in Utah."
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: "When Willie Green was traded by the 76ers to the New Orleans Hornets, he spoke about it being one of the toughest days of his life. Recent events have helped Green realize that trades are way down on a list of importance. In the early morning of Dec. 20, a few hours after watching Green play a game in Detroit, his sister, Tamara Green, and a cousin, Gary Green, were killed in a car accident. Green missed five games after the tragedy, but is now back with his team and trying to put one of the most difficult times of his life behind him. 'I'm a faithful and spiritual guy,' Green said. 'As tough as it was and is and is going to be, I just believe these are the times you rely on the love and support of your family and lean on your faith, knowing that God is in control of everything. This is going to be a tough situation, no matter what happens, but life continues to go on. The people that I lost are going to be in my memories and in my heart. Everybody's [family] doing the best that they can with the situation. It's tough. We all rally around each other and continue to show love and support. There's always going to be some positives that come out of every situation. Those are the things we're just trying to hang our hats on right now.' "
• Hayley Mick of the Globe and Mail: "If you’ve ever wondered about the life of injured professional basketball players, start with Reggie Evans’s Twitter account -- the one packed with exciting updates and helpful photos documenting his latest trip to the grocery store. Then observe Peja Stojakovic during a Toronto Raptors’ timeout, his blazer pressed and glazed eyes locked somewhere in the middle distance. Or ask Andrea Bargnani what it’s like to watch a game instead of play in one. 'It’s boring. It’s like, the worst thing,' said the seven-foot centre, who’s watched six of the Raptors’ previous eight games because of a calf injury. Injuries are part of professional sports, but Toronto has been stuck with more than its fair share in recent weeks. The team kicks off a three-game road trip in Chicago on Tuesday against the Bulls, and it’s difficult to predict just who will be left standing when they wrap up in Boston versus the Celtics on Friday. Clearly, the hobbled ones are antsy. 'This is the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life,' said Sonny Weems, who along with Evans (broken foot) and Stojakovic (swollen knee) will be grounded for the trip."
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: "The Griz are the only NBA team with two players averaging at least one steal and one block per game in Gay and Gasol. Memphis has four players (Conley, Gay, Gasol, Allen) averaging at least one steal per game, and that is tied for the most in the NBA."
• Dixie Reid of The Sacramento Bee: "The Kings' biggest star shows up only occasionally -- and then sits on the sideline and talks. Bill Walton, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame center who won NBA championships with Portland (1977) and Boston (1986), is the marquee analyst on the Kings' broadcast team. Co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof hired him this season to work a few games alongside the Kings' TV and radio teams. Walton will be at Arco Arena tonight when the Kings (7-24) take on Atlanta. 'He's one of a kind,' said Joe Maloof, who learned during the offseason from new sideline reporter Jim Gray that Walton's health had improved (he suffered for years from debilitating back pain) and might be available. He's a very positive guy, and what the fans enjoy most is that he doesn't sugarcoat anything,' Maloof said. 'We've had a very, very tough season, and really one of the only bright spots has been Bill Walton.' What the Kings get with Walton, besides an enthusiastic broadcaster with NBA record-book credentials, is a 6-foot-11 Yoda in size 17 shoes. He loves to talk with the players, some of whom hadn't been born when he retired from the NBA in 1987. Walton likes to share the philosophies of his UCLA coach, the late John Wooden. 'The two thoughts at the top of Coach Wooden's pyramid of success are faith and patience,' Walton said. 'Do you believe, and are you willing to put in the time to make it happen? ' "
• The Associated Press via the Toronto Star: "Giant teenager Satnam Singh Bhamar hopes to do for basketball in India what Houston Rockets star Yao Ming did for basketball in China. He’s not alone in his dream. Standing 7-foot-2, 15-year-old Bhamar is being touted as the player who can turn Indian basketball around. 'It feels good to be compared to Yao Ming,' says the shy teen, who admits he has a long way to go. Bhamar has just wrapped up an initial three-month training stint at the IMG basketball academy in Florida. He was among eight players -- four boys and four girls -- chosen to attend the academy after the Basketball Federation of India recently joined sports management company IMG-Reliance. The move is part of a 30-year strategy to promote the sport in India. ... Harish Sharma, who is the secretary for the Basketball Federation of India, is particularly bullish about Bhamar’s prospects. 'We are hoping he will be for India what Yao Ming was for China,' Sharma said. 'Though we have quite a few players who we hope will help improve the image of the game in the country, he has an iconic status already. He is focused, hardworking and has tremendous potential. One star player like this in NBA could mean a big boost for the game in India,' said Sharma, a former basketball player himself."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/23565/first-cup-tuesday-138

Andrew Bynum Jordan Farmar Derek Fisher Pau Gasol Lamar Odom Baron Davis